Department for Transport

Roads: Construction

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what environmental assessments they made prior to the allocation of £27 billion funding for road-building programmes; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those programmes on achieving the net zero carbon emissions target.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The current Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) will invest £24bn in the operation, maintenance, renewal and enhancement of England’s strategic roads between 2020 and 2025 to secure safer and more reliable journeys that impact more positively on communities and places. The Department published its Transport Decarbonisation Plan in July 2021, setting transport on the path to net zero by 2050. National Highways supports this through its own Net Zero Highways Plan which sets out how it will achieve net zero for its own operations by 2030, for road maintenance and construction by 2040, and net zero carbon travel on our roads by 2050. A net zero Britain will still travel by road in 2050, motorways and trunk roads will continue to carry the majority of long-distance traffic, and investment in Britain’s roads supports a thriving future net zero economy.

Trailers: Driving Tests

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they hold on the safety impact of the B+E car and trailer test; and what criteria they will use to review the impact on safety of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021 after three years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There is not currently any statistical evidence to categorically say that competence and skills will worsen if drivers do not take a statutory test to tow a trailer. Road safety has significantly improved over recent decades for several reasons, and it is therefore difficult to identify how much the car trailer test (Category B+E) has made a difference since it was introduced in 1997 or that there is a causal link between road safety and the test. The number of trailer accidents is low, with the proportion of accidents of cars/vans towing a trailer compared to all car/van accidents, as roughly 0.45% in 2019. Over recent decades, there has been a decline in the number of personal injury accidents for cars/vans towing trailers (with current 2019 accident figures of 474 being around a third of the total in 1997, 1442 accidents). This is likely due to several factors including vehicle safety improvements, road infrastructure improvements, other changes to licencing laws, as well as changes to the theory and practical test (for example the introduction of the hazard perception test). We also know that the number of personal injury accidents involving at least one car or van has also declined over this period (whereby total accidents have halved from 222,181 in 1997 down to 108,348 in 2019). In respect of the demographics of the drivers towing trailers, our statistics show that individuals generally only start getting their car and trailer licence (Category B+E licences) from their late 30s and 40s onwards, indicating that people tend to start towing within the later age groups. Analysis of the proportion of licence holders relative to accidents involving a vehicle towing a trailer by age reveals injury accidents are higher within lower age groups relative to the number of licences, which mirrors the collision statistics for drivers more generally – although this excludes ages groups above 41 as anyone with a B licence pre-1997 would have acquired automatic right to the B+E licence. We have committed in the regulations to a post-implementation review after three years and then after five years. We will keep monitoring and gathering data throughout this time to understand the impact on road safety and will take action if needed.

Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) 
Regulations 2021

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what safety assessment they have made of theimpact of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: A full impact analysis of these regulations has not been published yet. We have shared information on the road safety impact with the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, which it has published in full in its 15th Report for the session 2021 – 22. This can be found on Parliament’s website. We are working on a fuller assessment which will be published.

Railways: Electrification

Lord Snape: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent announcement regarding theelectrification of the Midland Main Line and the TransPennine route, what plans they have to ensure that electric haulage is used whenever possible on both (1) passenger, and (2) freight, trains.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We continue to work through design and development phases of these schemes and have already commenced construction works for electrification of some sections of the routes. We expect rail operators to deliver passenger and freight services with rolling stock that makes the best use of the available infrastructure, while considering operational requirements and the need to reduce industry emissions. As we decarbonise the railway, we will design the rollout of further electrification of the Midland Main Line and the TransPennine Route Upgrade in such a way to allow the switchover from diesel to electric as soon as possible, although some services will not be able to switch immediately if they use multiple lines.

Railways: Freight

Lord Snape: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Freightliner UK Ltd regarding its plans to replace electric locomotives with diesels on its services.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government fully recognises business concerns around increasing electricity prices, and we have been regularly engaging with Freightliner, amongst other Freight Operating Companies, on this issue and will continue to do so. It is however a commercial decision for private sector freight operators to decide whether or not to pause their use of some electric trains and return to using diesel trains due to the increased price of electricity. Freightliner has stated that this is a temporary measure and will be kept under review. Despite Freightliner deciding to revert to diesel locomotives, rail freight remains one of the most carbon efficient ways of moving goods over long distances. To reduce congestion and emissions from across the freight sector, the Government continues to support the modal shift of freight from road to rail, including through the £20m Mode Shift Revenue Support grant scheme (2021/22) that supports the carriage of freight by rail and water on routes where road haulage has a financial advantage. This Government is committed to going further and faster to tackle climate change than ever before. In our recently published Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such plan in the world – the Government committed to delivering a net zero railway by 2050. We will continue to build on the strong, green credentials of the rail sector by electrifying more of the network. Additionally, we committed to incentivising the take up of low carbon traction by the Freight Operating Companies and will be working with the rail freight industry as we develop potential policy interventions.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Accountancy: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3771), what assessment they have made of the reasons why the IFRS Foundation has taken 17 years to develop and publish IFRS 17.

Lord Callanan: The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is an independent international body, which sets its own agenda and timetable. Insurance companies across the world use a wide variety of accounting practices when reporting the financial position and performance of their businesses. Achieving a standardised approach to reporting financial position and performance for a global industry with such diverse accounting practices takes considerable time and resources.

Equitable Life Assurance Society

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3771), what assessment they have made of the critiques by the Penrose Inquiry into Equitable Life summarised in points (a) – (e) of Appendix IV paragraph 1.6 of FRS 27 of December 2004; and for each point, how they have addressed it with the IFRS Foundation; and if any points have not been addressed, why not.

Lord Callanan: FRS 27 has addressed many of the critiques made by the Penrose Inquiry in the development of IFRS 17, except for the differences between the accounting bases for regulatory and financial reporting. Insurance is inherently a complex business so some complexity in the related financial reporting is inevitable. However, a standardised basis for financial reporting will go a long way to addressing concerns related to complexity. The Penrose Inquiry also identified regulatory failures to restrain the hazardous conduct of firms and to protect stakeholders. The Financial Services Authority (now the Financial Conduct Authority) took the recommendations from the report to enhance the solvency and liquidity requirements and set other boundaries more tightly in the Solvency II legislation. The accounting basis for regulatory purposes is not within the remit of the IFRS Foundation and regulatory reporting is not designed to report performance. The Prudential Regulatory Authority has responsibility for promoting the safety and soundness of insurers and the protection of policy holders.

Uk Endorsement Board: Accountancy

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 18 November (HL3768), why the procurement of legal advice by Katherine Coates is a matter for the unincorporated UK Endorsement Board given that the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3859) states that the UK Endorsement Board does not have autonomy for its economic activity and procurement, spending controls and due process are matters for the Financial Reporting Council and its incorporated subsidiary the UK Endorsement Board Limited.

Lord Callanan: The UK Endorsement Board is an independent unincorporated association and has autonomy of decision-making in relation to the functions conferred upon it. Procurement of legal advice in undertaking those functions is a matter for the UK Endorsement Board. The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited, an incorporated subsidiary of the Financial Reporting Council, provides the operational facilities and resources to support the UK Endorsement Board’s activities. This maintains the independence of the UK Endorsement Board’s technical decision-making.

Accountancy: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3771), what is the (1) relevance of, and (2) the need for, the IRFS Foundation producing IFRS 17 "in order to make insurers’ financial statements more useful for users of financial statements”, when no such objective or endorsement criteria is contained in the International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Lord Callanan: The IFRS Foundation is an independent international body. The Foundation’s mission is to produce high quality international standards that bring transparency, comparability, and efficiency to financial markets. As an international body the Foundation is not bound by UK legislation when setting future work priorities. In the UK, the UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) is responsible for adoption and endorsement of new or amended international accounting standards, issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) for use by UK companies. The UKEB consults publicly with stakeholders that have an interest in financial reporting in the UK so that it can develop and represent evidence-based UK views with the aim of acting as the UK voice on IFRS financial reporting. The UKEB’s draft assessment of IFRS 17 is currently open for stakeholder consultation.

Accountancy: Standards

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3771), andLord Henley on 30 January 2019 (HL12948 and HL12949) and 27 February 2019 (HL13690), what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the objectives in IFRS17 with (1) the need for capital maintenance, creditor and shareholder protection for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, and (2) the International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

Lord Callanan: Ensuring adequate company capital is maintained to comply with the Companies Act 2006 creditor and shareholder protection requirements is part of a company’s directors’ duties. The Government’s White Paper, Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance set out proposals for increasing confidence that the capital maintenance laws are being complied with, including proposals to require companies to report their distributable reserves and for directors to make a formal statement about the legality of proposed dividends. We are considering responses to the White Paper and will publish our conclusions in due course. The UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) has been delegated powers to consider new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for UK adoption. This includes an assessment of the compatibility of new standards with the requirements of the International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 No. 685. The UKEB’s draft assessment of IFRS 17 against the criteria in that legislation is currently open for consultation.

UK Endorsement Board and Financial Reporting Council: Accountancy

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Callanan on 22 November (HL3771) and (HL3859), what assessment they have made of the risk of the (1) UK Endorsement Board, and (2) Financial Reporting Council, wasting public money by following the wrong objectives in undertaking endorsement activities; and what safeguards they have put in place to mitigate any such risks.

Lord Callanan: The Secretary of State set Terms of Reference for the UK Endorsement Board which direct it to adhere to the guiding principles of accountability, independence, transparency and thought leadership. This includes the need for the UKEB to adhere to Managing Public Money principles. Further, the UKEB is required to report annually to the Secretary of State on how it is discharging its functions. This report will be laid in Parliament.

Insolvency Service: Complaints

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many complaints about the conduct of insolvency practitioners have been filed with (1) the Insolvency Service, and (2) each of the Recognised Professional Bodies, during each of the last five years; how many have been investigated; how many are outstanding; and how many insolvency practitioners' licences to practice have been revoked.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service does not generally investigate complaints against Insolvency Practitioners, who are individuals licensed and regulated by one of four authorising bodies, known as the Recognised Professional Bodies (RPBs). Instead, the Insolvency Service operates a single point of contact, the Complaints Gateway, which provides an independent and consistent assessment of complaints about insolvency practitioners. On receipt of a complaint the Gateway will assess it against objective criteria and, if it is within scope, pass it to the relevant RPB for consideration. Statistical information, including on the number of complaints received and referred to the RPBs, is published each year as part of The Insolvency Service’s ‘Annual Review of Insolvency Practitioner Regulation’ which is available on GOV.UK.

Demolition: Environment Protection and Public Health

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to account for the embodied carbon of existing buildings; and the (1) climate, (2) wider environmental, and (3) public health, costs of their demolition.

Lord Callanan: On 1st June 2021, a coalition of governments and organizations, led by the United Kingdom (UK) and India, launched the new Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI). The IDDI will work on the harmonisation of embodied emissions reporting, public construction practices and standard setting. At COP26, the IDDI launched three working groups on embodied carbon data collection, standards and green public procurement. These working groups will deliver guidelines, comparison mechanisms and digital tool solutions agreed among member governments no later than 2024. The methodology for the construction stage, in-use and end of life embodied carbon emissions is the subject of the cross Whitehall working group on Government Construction Metrics run by the IPA. This working group is aiming to propose a consistent whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) for public projects by 2023. Many infrastructure projects already use the PAS2080 standard when assessing the carbon impact of these projects.

Fossil Fuels: Registration

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) co-operate with, (2) promote, and (3) encourage, the development of the Global Registry of Fossil Fuels.

Lord Callanan: Transparency has an essential role to play in supporting competition and sustainability in global energy markets. We welcome what the Global Registry may be able to add to existing sources of information and will consider how we can contribute to this initiative. There are, however, constraints on what information we can release – in particular around protecting commercial confidentiality.

Department of Health and Social Care

Neuromuscular Disorders: Research

Baroness Wheeler: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish further (1) details of, and (2) timescales for, the allocation of the £375 million additional research funding into neurodegenerative disease; and whether this grant will include research into (a) Multiple System Atrophy, and (b) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Lord Kamall: This investment will fund research projects into a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. The Government will provide this funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The NIHR and UKRI rely on researchers submitting high-quality applications to access funding, therefore details of allocations and timescales are not currently available. All applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services

Baroness Blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the British Lung Foundation Failing on the fundamentals: Insights from those living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the UK, published in November; and what plans they have to improve the percentage of people with COPD who are receiving the Five Fundamentals of COPD Care.

Baroness Blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that people who need it (1) receive the Five Fundamentals of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Care, and (2) get better access to diagnostic tests.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement have considered the report and are discussing the findings with the British Lung Foundation and Asthma UK. NHS England and NHS Improvement has a duty of regard in relation to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’s quality standards, including the Five Fundamentals of COPD Care. Clinical commissioning groups should have regard to them in planning and delivery of services, as part of a general duty to secure continuous improvement in quality.The NHS Long Term Plan focuses on expanding pulmonary rehabilitation services over 10 years, to prevent 500,000 exacerbations and avoid 80,000 admissions. Thirty seven ‘early adopter’ community diagnostic centres will provide additional capacity for 610,000 diagnostic tests in 2021/22 and over 813,000 tests in the next 12 months. Local systems are also asked to review plans and progress against the NHS Long Term Plan to support key clinical conditions. For respiratory conditions, this includes pulmonary rehabilitation and spirometry.

Cancer and Heart Diseases: Diagnosis

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients have been waiting for (1) heart, and (2) cancer, diagnostic tests for more than six weeks.

Lord Kamall: This information is not available in the format requested.

Prostate Cancer: Tomography

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £525 million allocated to replace diagnostic equipment has been dedicated to (1) replace outdated MRI scans, and (2) improve access to multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging, to support the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Lord Kamall: This investment is designed to benefit a range of cancer pathways. To date, over £100 million has been allocated to replace outdated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, of which almost £90 million included hardware able to perform multi-parametric resonance imaging and support the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Replacing aged MRI assets supports the prostate cancer pathway through higher quality imaging, increased availability of MRI and reduced duplication of imaging for patients. This investment is in addition to the routine replacement of MRI machines, which NHS Providers is funding through its annual operational capital allocation.

General Practitioners

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manyGeneral Practitioners are registered with the NHS in England; and how many of them are on part-time contracts.

Lord Kamall: The latest available data shows that as at 30 September 2021, there were 36,275 full time equivalent doctors working in general practice in England, or 45,681 by headcount. There were 26,895 qualified permanent general practitioners, excluding those in training grade and locums, by headcount who work fewer than 37.5 hours per week.

Lung Diseases: Health Services

Baroness Blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restore the provision of respiratory care to pre-pandemic levels.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement’s priorities include tackling the backlog for non-urgent treatment, such as for patients with respiratory diseases. This aims to eliminate waiting times of two years or more, arrest the increase in waiting times of one year and over and stabilise total waiting lists. We have made £1.5 billion available to assist local teams to increase their capacity and invest in other measures to achieve these priorities. NHS Digital’s data for 25 October 2021 shows 4,586 referrals were made for respiratory medicine, compared to 5,032 in January 2020.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthe NHS app will include information about booster vaccinations for COVID-19.

Lord Kamall: The NHS COVID Pass can now be used to demonstrate proof of a booster or third dose for outbound international travel and this record is available through the NHS App and NHS.UK. Booster vaccinations are not required for domestic certification in England.

Lung Diseases: Screening

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data are available on the scale of spirometry testing, following the publication of guidance in April on the safe resumption of such testing.

Lord Kamall: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when booster vaccinations for COVID-19 will be recorded on the NHS app.

Lord Kamall: The NHS COVID Pass can now be used to demonstrate proof of a booster or third dose for outbound international travel and this is available through the NHS App and NHS.UK. Booster vaccinations are not required for domestic certification in England.

Smoking

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their updated Tobacco Control Plan.

Lord Kamall: We are undertaking further policy development to support the Tobacco Control Plan, which will be published in due course.

Tobacco: Taxation

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recommendations to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ charge on tobacco manufacturers; and whether the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan will include such a charge.

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether revenues from a ‘polluter pays’ charge could be used towards the delivery of their Smokefree 2030 programme.

Lord Kamall: The Department is currently assessing a range of policy and regulatory proposals for consideration in the development of the new Tobacco Control Plan. However, no specific assessment has been made of a polluter pays charge on tobacco manufacturers or whether revenues from this charge could be used towards achieving the Smokefree 2030 programme.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average response time for each of the ambulance services in England in (1) April, (2) July, and (3) October, for (a) emergency, and (b) routine, calls.

Lord Kamall: The information is not collected in the format requested. Ambulance response times are measured across four categories as follows:- Category 1 - life threatening;- Category 2 - emergency;- Category 3 - urgent; and- Category 4 - non-urgent.Data on the mean response times in hours, minutes and seconds for Category 1 to 4 calls for each ambulance service in England in April, July and October 2021, is attached due to the size of the data.Ambulance response times  (docx, 24.6KB)

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make free COVID-19 antibody tests available to all school children to establish whether or not they have been infected with COVID-19; and what assessment they have made as to whether children who have been infected with COVID-19 should also be vaccinated against it.

Lord Kamall: The second Office for National Statistics-led Schools Infection Survey has recently launched to determine the number of pupils who have developed antibodies against the virus and how the level of antibodies changes during an academic year. The information collected will inform policies to protect school children and staff. The Home Antibody Testing Service and Post Positive PCR Antibody Testing Initiative are available to those aged 18 years old or over. The Service is exploring whether home-based antibody testing may be used for testing in those aged under 18 years old and will only offer testing if it is safe and practical to do so. Vaccination is important for children even in cases of previous COVID-19 infection as any immunity as a result wanes over time. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that young people aged 16 to 17 years old who are not in an at-risk group and individuals aged 12 to 17 years old in clinical at-risk groups should be offered two doses. Vaccination of healthy 12 to 15 year olds began on 20 September. In children at low risk, the JCVI currently recommends deferral of vaccination for 12 weeks after onset of confirmed COVID-19 infection or of a positive sample. Natural infection is likely to provide protection against severe disease in younger people without clinical risk factors that would last for at least three months.

Gynaecology: Waiting Lists

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the waiting lists for gynaecology services.

Lord Kamall: Gynaecology services will be included within the recovery of elective care. This will be funded by £2 billion this year and an additional £8 billion over the next three years, which could deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million more checks, scans and procedures. The delivery plan for tackling the elective care backlog will be published later this year.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to add proof of the COVID-19 booster vaccination to the NHS COVID-19 pass; and when they plan to do so.

Lord Kamall: The NHS COVID Pass can now be used to demonstrate proof of a booster or third dose for outbound international travel. This is available through the NHS App and on NHS.UK. Booster vaccinations are not required for domestic certification in England. In light of the recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to extend the booster programme, we will keep the inclusion of these doses for domestic certification under review.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why therecommended waiting period between the first and second COVID-19 vaccination for children changed from 28 days to three months; and what steps they took to notify the parents of those children who received their second COVID-19 vaccination before the change took place of the reasons for this change.

Lord Kamall: The recommended interval between the first and second dose has not changed from 28 days to three months.On 15 November the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that young people aged 16 to 17 years old who are not in an at-risk group should be offered a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) COVID-19 vaccine. The second dose should be given 12 weeks or more following the first. Individuals aged 12 to 17 years old in clinical at-risk groups should continue to receive their second dose eight weeks after the first. Their individual risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 is higher and therefore outweighs any benefit of delaying to 12 weeks. From 22 November, healthy 16 to 17 year olds have been able to book a second vaccination.

Incontinence

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Overactive Bladder on the UK economy.

Lord Kamall: No assessment has been made.

Depressive Illnesses: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of cases of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they intend to take in response to any such assessment.

Lord Kamall: Analysis by the Office for National Statistics shows that between 21 July to 15 August 2021, 17% of adults surveyed experienced some form of depression. This is a decrease since the survey of 27 January to 7 March 2021 at 21% but above pre-pandemic levels of 10%.For children and young people, NHS Digital report that rates of probable mental disorders, including depression, have increased since 2017. For 6 to 16 year olds rates have increased from 11.6% to 17.4% and in 17 to 19 year olds from 10.1% to 17.4%. Rates in both age groups remained similar between 2020 and 2021. We have allocated an additional £500 million through the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan for 2021/22, to ensure the right support is in place, including for people with depression. Of this funding, £110 million will be used to expand adult mental health services including psychological therapies and £79 million to significantly expand children’s mental health services. We are also investing an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to enable a further two million people to access mental health services.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans theyhave to make evidence of a positive COVID-19 antibody test equal to a vaccination certificate for the purposes of admission to venues.

Lord Kamall: There are no current plans to do so. Individuals can currently obtain an NHS COVID Pass, which can be used to access domestic venues, if they have:- Received a full course of vaccination;- Received a positive result on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, lasting for 180 days after the date of the positive test and following completion of the self-isolation period;- Received a negative result for a PCR or lateral flow test, lasting for 48 hours after the time of the negative test;- Participated in a United Kingdom clinical trial; or- Received a clinically authorised medical exemption.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they intend to provide (1) to the NHS, and (2) to other areas of society, to tackle the effects of alcohol consumption.

Lord Kamall: Alcohol is a cross-cutting issue affecting several Government departments. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England and NHS Improvement have invested £27 million in a four year programme between 2019/20 and 2023/24 to both establish and improve alcohol care teams to provide specialist alcohol interventions in hospitals where needed. Implementation is estimated to prevent 50,000 admissions over five years.Furthermore, we have made the largest increase in substance misuse treatment funding for 15 years, with £80 million of new investment in 2021/22. £9.8 million of this has been made available for medically managed inpatient detoxification units, crucial for treating those most dependent on alcohol and drugs. This funding is in addition to the money local authorities already spend on substance misuse from the public health grant.The focus of the newly established Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is on improving the nation’s health and levelling up health disparities. This includes tackling alcohol-related health harms.This year, we are delivering £52 million for substance misuse treatment services for people sleeping rough, building on £23 million in 2020/21. This will fund evidence-based drug and alcohol treatment and wraparound support to improve access to treatment, including for those with co-occurring mental health needs.

Social Services: Termination of Employment

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reduce the risk of social care staff leaving their jobs over the winter months.

Lord Kamall: On 21 October 2021, the Department announced a new £162.5 million Workforce Recruitment and Retention fund to support local authorities working with providers to recruit and retain social care staff this winter.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage those who are eligible for COVID-19 booster vaccinations to take up their offer.

Lord Kamall: A national ‘BOOST your immunity this winter’ communications campaign was launched in mid-October. This sets out the importance of those eligible receiving their COVID-19 booster vaccination. We are sponsoring information articles in more than 600 newspaper titles, including multicultural newspapers in multiple languages. The COVID-19 vaccination leaflets produced by UK Health Security Agency have also been translated into 27 languages including Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Panjabi and Urdu. This is supported by Ministers, scientists and clinicians and community and faith leaders, alongside social media messaging.There are more clinics in England delivering COVID-19 vaccines, including pharmacies, general practitioner (GP) practices and other community sites. Hundreds of walk-in sites are offering booster vaccines without an appointment. In addition, COVID-19 booster vaccinations have been delivered or scheduled in nine out of ten care homes in England. The National Booking Service has also been updated to allow those eligible for a booster vaccine to pre-book their appointment five months after their second dose.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the NHS app willinclude information about a British national’s COVID-19 vaccination status where the vaccinations were administered outside the UK.

Lord Kamall: We have provided a pilot service at selected vaccination centres for residents to request their overseas vaccines are uploaded to the national database. A national service will be launched in December which will support online bookings with further vaccination sites available. AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen vaccines in the United States of America, the European Union, the European Economic Area, Canada, Switzerland and Australia regulated by the European Medicines Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, Swissmedic and Therapeutic Goods Administration can generate an NHS COVID Pass. A range of vaccines are administered worldwide and we are working to understand which non-Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-approved equivalent vaccines we would be confident to recognise in the NHS COVID Pass.

Care Homes: Visits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor how care home providers are enabling residents to receive visitors.

Lord Kamall: We monitor the implementation of visiting guidance by care homes on a weekly basis using the Capacity Tracker data collection and data on visitor test registrations. Approximately 92.6% of care homes in England are able to accommodate residents receiving visitors.We regularly review and update guidance on care home visiting, based on clinical advice. If a resident or their family have concerns that a care home is not following visiting guidance appropriately, it should be raised with the home in the first instance. The Care Quality Commission can also investigate complaints and has regulatory powers to take action where providers do not appropriately support access to visits.

Dementia: Music Therapy

Baroness Bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Kamall on 22 November (HL Deb, col 586), what cross-government steps they are taking to raise awareness among (1) carers, and (2) healthcare practitioners, of the value of music therapy and its application in the care of patients with dementia.

Baroness Bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Kamall on 22 November (HL Deb, col 586), whether support will be made available for musicians to train as music therapists (1) to increase the number of practitioners able to deliver music interventions for dementia patients, and (2) to meet the ambitions for social prescribing as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Lord Kamall: Research suggests music can help people with dementia reduce the need for medication, address agitation and help people and their families cope better with symptoms. The Chief Social Worker’s office have worked with the charity Music for Dementia to raise awareness among social workers and social care workers, on embedding music therapy in personalised social care plans for people living with dementia and their carers. NHS England and NHS Improvement, in collaboration with the National Academy for Social Prescribing and Music for Dementia, facilitated a series of webinars on the topic of creative support and supported Music for Dementia to produce guidance on music prescriptions for social prescribing link workers. We will publish a new dementia strategy in 2022, which will explore the role of arts and music-based interventions.Health Education England have promoted the allied health professions, including music therapists. This included a Career Changer campaign with a number of music therapists with a musician background. We are continuing to deploy social prescribing link workers across theNational Health Service and have exceeded the first target of 1,000 link workers by March 2021. As of September 2021, there were over 1,400 new link workers in place and we are working towards the target of at least 900,000 people referred to social prescribing by 2023/24.

Health Services: Homelessness

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of specialist homeless health services across the NHS; and what plans they have to commission more of these services.

Lord Kamall: Most specialist homeless health services are commissioned locally which enables local areas to tailor services to the needs of their population. The National Health Service committed up to £30 million from 2019 to 2024 through the NHS Long Term Plan to establish new specialist mental health provision to improve the health of homeless people. Additionally, the we have provided £16 million for specialist out of hospital care services with support from discharge and beyond.

Abortion: Ambulance Services

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that local ambulance services can accurately track the impact of complications arising from home use of medical abortion pills; and what plans they have, if any, to use an Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System code for such cases.

Lord Kamall: The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications data. We anticipate this work will be completed shortly. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion including home use of early medical abortion pills.To improve the accuracy of the data collected, the Department is working closely with a range of statutory bodies, professional organisations and abortion providers to identify additional sources of information to complement complications data collected via HSA4 abortion notification forms. This would also improve the flow of data on abortion complications between different organisations, such as independent and NHS abortion providers and local ambulance services.

HeadUp: Contracts

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 11 November (HL3542), when evaluating HeadUp Systems for the contract for (1) data science, and (2) health technology services, for the Health Incentives Scheme, what steps they took to evaluate whether the company’s latest accounts registered with Companies House met the criteria relating to (a) turnover, (b) quick ratio, and (c) current ratio, as set out in section 4 of the selection criteria within the Selection, Award and Evaluation Guidance.

Lord Kamall: HeadUp Systems Ltd’s turnover, quick ratio and current ratios were evaluated on the information provided in its bid through the open procurement process and assessed against the criteria set out in the Selection, Award and Evaluation Guidance.As current turnover did not meet the criteria, as part of the financial standing assessment, the company were then evaluated based on the guarantees evidenced in the bid. HeadUp Systems Ltd were able to evidence Bank and Parent company guarantees in response to selection questionnaire question 04.1(b) of the Selection, Award and Evaluation Guidance which determined sufficient financial stability.Selection, Award and Evaluation Guidance (docx, 149.4KB)

Department for Education

Universities: Student Wastage

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide more support for students at risk of dropping out of university.

Baroness Barran: On Wednesday 24 November we issued guidance to the Office for Students (OfS), asking them to refresh the access and participation regime to drive up standards in education and focus in on genuine social mobility by making getting on at university as important as getting in.We have tasked the OfS with rewriting national targets for access and participation and renegotiating providers’ access and participation plans in line with these new targets.We want to see the higher education sector stepping up and taking a greater role, not only in improving the access rates for disadvantaged young people, but in ensuring those successes also result in improvements in attainment and outcomes. The OfS should remove any incentives in the current system for providers to recruit disadvantaged students onto courses where too many students drop out or that do not offer good graduate outcomes.Through the refocusing of the access and participation regime, we expect universities to provide more support to disadvantaged students by:tackling dropout rates and providing support through university to graduation and into high skilled and high paid jobsworking more with schools and colleges to raise standards in schools so students get better qualifications and have more options and can choose the path that is right for themoffering more courses that are linked to skills and flexible learning such as degree apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications and part time courses.It is essential that the OfS’ work on access and participation focuses on delivering real social mobility by ensuring students can make the right choices and can access and succeed on high quality courses which are valued by employers and lead to good graduate employment.This refresh is a central part of our levelling up agenda and national focus on improving the skills gap in disadvantaged areas.

Further Education: Standards

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what(1) metrics, and (2) other measures, are used by (a) the Office for Students, and (b) the Quality Assurance Agency, to assess the performance of individual further education colleges for quality assurance purposes.

Baroness Barran: The higher education (HE) provision of further education colleges, which are registered with the Office for Students (OfS), is subject to the same quality assurance arrangements as that of all other registered HE providers.The OfS monitors and regulates quality outcomes as described in its regulatory framework and in its conditions of registration. The metrics used by the OfS to assess the quality of HE provision relates to student continuation and completion rates, degree, and other outcomes. This includes differential outcomes for students with different characteristics and progression to professional and managerial jobs and postgraduate study.The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), as the designated quality body under section 27 and Schedule 4 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, undertakes quality and standards reviews to enable the OfS to assess compliance with registration conditions. In particular, the QAA assesses whether providers are delivering well designed courses that provide a high-quality academic experience and whether students are supported, from admission through to completion, to succeed in, and benefit from, HE.The OfS is currently carrying out a three-stage consultation on its overall regulatory approach to quality and standards which aims to introduce a more rigorous quality regime.

Private Candidate Support Grant

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish details of the Private Candidate Support Grant for approved examination centres, including when the online claims service will go live.

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether claims for the Private Candidate Support Grant may be made retrospectively.

Baroness Barran: The online claims service for the Private Candidate Support Grant was launched on 29 November 2021. The claims form and accompanying guidance can be found here: https://form.education.gov.uk/service/exam-funding.Centres can make retrospective claims of £200 per entry to meet the costs associated with the additional demands of assessment for private candidates this year.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Accommodation: Females

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18 to 24, or (2) 25 or older, are currently sharing a cell.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: On 19th November, the population of the women’s prison estate was 3,236.306 were aged 18-24, and 69 from this age group were sharing a cell. Of these 69 women, 60 women were sharing double occupancy cells and 9 women were sharing accommodation holding three women or more.Of the remaining 2930, 676 women were sharing double occupancy cells and 167 women were sharing specifically designed accommodation holding three women or more.

Treasury

Fraud: Victim Support Schemes

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support victims of financial scams.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government works closely with industry to close down the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit and ensure members of the public have the information they need to spot a scam and stand up to fraudsters. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent the risk that they might be used to further financial crime. This includes controls to prevent fraud. The Government is committed to tackling fraud within payments networks. With regards to Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, the Government considers rules within Faster Payments as the best solution for ensuring that victims are reimbursed. The Government recognises the actions taken to-date by the financial services industry to help tackle fraud, including through investment in anti-fraud capabilities, the creation of a voluntary reimbursement Code, and the implementation of initiatives such as Confirmation of Payee. While the Government welcomes these initiatives, it is clear that more needs to be done both to prevent these scams, and to ensure that victims are not left paying for fraud through no fault of their own. The Government is engaging with the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and industry on what further actions are needed to better protect customers, and welcomed the PSR’s recent consultation on APP scams, which set out various potential measures that could improve scam prevention and outcomes, including proposals to introduce mandatory requirements to reimburse victims. The Government has confirmed it intends to legislate to address any barriers to regulatory action regarding mandatory reimbursement when parliamentary time allows.

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: VAT

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to freeze the current rate of VAT to (1) encourage investment, and (2) create jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022. This relief has cost over £8 billion and, whilst all taxes are kept under review, there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. The Government has been clear that this relief is a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Jerusalem: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of reports regarding (1) Israeli settlement activity at holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, (2) the displacement of Palestinians from their homes in the area, and (3) the restriction of Palestinian cultural activities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the historic Status Quo to ensure the safety and the security of the Al Haram Al Sharif / Temple Mount and all who worship there. We remain opposed to the eviction of Palestinians from their homes, and regularly make this clear to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. We also continue to support the Palestinian cultural presence and identity throughout the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, as well as Palestinian physical presence there.

China: Guided Weapons

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the recent hypersonic missile testing by the government of China, and (2) the implications of such tests for world peace.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is monitoring international developments in missile technology. We will continue to push for all countries to act responsibly in the international system. The UK engages regularly with Chinese officials and civil society on arms control issues, including through our annual dialogue on Counter Proliferation and discussions with the Chinese Arms Control and Disarmament Association. We further these discussions with China through the P5 Process.

Diplomatic Service: British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances a British national is granted diplomatic protection in consular cases; what were the reasons for granting such protection for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and whether they will grant similar diplomatic protection to Anoosheh Ashoori.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Diplomatic protection is a mechanism under international law according to which a State may seek to secure reparation for injury to one of its nationals, on the basis that the second State has committed an internationally wrongful act against the national. It is the right of the State to raise with another State the question of treatment of one of its nationals by that other State and to call that other State to account on the international plane. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was given Diplomatic Protection in March 2019. Mr Ashoori’s release is a top priority for the Foreign Secretary and we will continue to review when best to deploy the tools that we have to secure his release. FCDO has been supporting Mr Ashoori's family since we became aware of his detention. The Foreign Secretary has remained in contact with the family to reinforce the UK's efforts to bring him home and last met with them on 18 November.

BBC World Service: Finance

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue grant in aid funding beyond the World 2020 programme for the BBC World Service, which ends in March 2022.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what settlement they have reached with the BBC World Service for grant in aid funding after March 2022; and what impact they expect this will have on services, including (1) cuts, and (2) staff reductions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to providing grant-in-aid funding for the BBC World Service through to 2025. The details of the settlement are still to be finalised.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Israel concerning reports that Israel is holding 482 Palestinians in administrative detention, including 4 minors, without charge or trial.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and regularly raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice. We also fund projects providing legal aid to assist children with legal representation and capacity building to local lawyers.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, and President Putin on 26 November, what further representations they plan to make to the government of Azerbaijan on the issue of releasing Armenian (1) hostages, and (2) prisoners of war.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government has not made any specific representations to the Governments of Armenia or Azerbaijan following the summit on the 26 November. However, the Minister for Europe and Americas has continued to raise this important issue with both Governments following last year's conflict, including during her recent meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors on 4 and 17 November respectively. We will continue to raise the importance of securing a peaceful settlement to the conflict through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The Foreign Secretary did so most recently at the 2 December OSCE Ministerial Council.

Eritrea: Christianity

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the freedom of religion for Christians in Eritrea.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government frequently voices our concern about arbitrary arrests and detentions in Eritrea, including on the basis of religion or belief. We have called for release of such worshippers, directly with the Government of Eritrea, and publicly - through our annual reporting on human rights, at the UN Human Rights Council, and on 25 October through our statement at the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea during the third committee of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. There has been no progress with Eritrea's implementation of its 2019 Universal Periodic Review recommendations, including those promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief.

West Bank: Israeli Settlements

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel regarding reports that Palestinian land in the West Bank has been confiscated by Israeli settlers and Palestinians expelled from it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions, confiscations and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel, most recently with Israel's Ministry of Defence on 19 October. We regularly call on Israel to halt such counterproductive activity and instead urgently commit to creating a better environment for a just and lasting peace.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make representations to the government of Israel concerning (1) the actions taken by Israeli forces and settler communities which have prevented Palestinian farmers from tending to their land in at-Tabaga village, Hebron and (2) the sealing off of agricultural roads by the Israeli Civil Authority preventing access to the Masafer Yatta hamlets.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to stress to the Israeli authorities the damage that their restrictions on access and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians. We regularly call on Israel to halt such counterproductive activity and instead urgently commit to creating a better environment for a just and lasting peace.

Iran: Debts

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government how muchmoney they owe to Iran; and when they expect to pay it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We discuss any money owed from the UK to Iran and vice versa and how we resolve this directly with Iran. The IMS debt, which has garnered public and parliamentary interest, is a longstanding issue and we have been consistently clear that we continue to explore options to resolve this 40-year old case.

Iran: Debts

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much moneythey owe to Iran; when they expect to pay it; and why they have not yet paid it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The IMS debt is a longstanding issue and we have been consistently clear that we continue to explore options to resolve this 40-year old case.

Nagorno Karabakh: Armed Conflict

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in Nagorno-Karabakh one year after the ceasefire took effect on 10 November 2020; and when they last discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with the government of Russia.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government welcomes the ceasefire but remains concerned about the increase in tensions in recent months that has resulted in loss of life. We continue to raise the importance of securing a peaceful settlement to the conflict through negotiations facilitated by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The Foreign Secretary did so most recently at the 2 December OSCE Ministerial Council. The Minister for Europe and Americas also raised this and other issues in her meetings with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ambassadors on 4 and 17 November respectively. The UK Government has ongoing discussions with all members of the Minsk Group, including the Co-Chairs, to support their efforts to secure a peacefully negotiated settlement and stability in the region.

Ministry of Defence

Iran: Debts

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 15 November (HL Deb, col 16), whatassessment they have made of the international arbitration tribunal’s rulings on the £400 million payment to be made to Iran; whether they intend to pay it; if so, when they will do so; and what assessment they have made of the example this case may set to other governments.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble. Lord to the answer I gave to the Rt Rev. the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford on 29 November 2021 to Question HL3988.HL3988 - Tanks; Iran (docx, 15.4KB)

Army: Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) for which trades in the Regular British Army, and (2) at what level, is the holding of a group C HGV licence a mandatory requirement.

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) for which trades in the Regular British Army, and (2) at what level, is the holding of a group C+E HGV licence a mandatory requirement.

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) for which trades in the British Army Reserve, and (2) at what level, is the holding of a group C HGV licence a mandatory requirement.

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) for which trades in the British Army Reserve, and (2) at what level, is the holding of a group C +E HGV licence a mandatory requirement.

Baroness Goldie: The answers to the noble. Lord's questions are provided in the attached table. British Army HGV Driving Licence Requirements (docx, 20.0KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 11 November (HL3461), whether in their view the removal of the Universal Credit uplift meets the public sector equality duty tests set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 for any of the nine protected characteristics; what evidence informs their view that the public sector equality duty does not apply to ‘temporary’ measures; and what legal advice they have sought to confirm this view.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government recognises that the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 is ongoing. As such, a full equality impact assessment was completed prior to the introduction of the uplift to Universal Credit and that equality impact assessment was reviewed and updated prior to implementation of the temporary six-month extension announced by the Chancellor at the Budget on 3 March 2021. Consideration of the impact of the end of the uplift was implicit in those equality impact assessments, because the uplift was always intended as a temporary measure only. No separate assessment was therefore needed when the uplift came to an end.

Home Office

Migration

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people who emigrated from the UK in (1) 1991, (2) 2010, and (3) 2020; and how this compares to the number of people who applied to settle in the UK in each of those years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of immigration, emigration and net migration on their website:International migration - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)Provisional long-term international migration estimates - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)ONS estimates of Emigration from the UK 199120102019YE March 2020Total285,000339,000409,000403,000All data are estimatesYE March 2020 is the latest available data https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseThe available Home Office data relate to grants and refusals of applications for settlement. These are published in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ on GOV.UK:The latest available data relates to the year ending June 2021. Data for Q3 2021 will be published on 25 November 2021.Grants and refusals of Settlement in the UK 199120102020YE June 2021Grant53,900241,19285,457106,876RefusalN/A11,1341,8141,897Grand TotalN/A252,32687,271108,7731991 data rounded to the nearest 10Data from 2010 to 31 December 2020 exclude EEA nationalsNationals of EU accession countries are included or excluded according to their accession dateOnly Grants of Settlement were published in 1991YE June 2021 is the latest available data

Refugees: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many missing persons cases of child refugees have been issued in 2021.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure children in temporary accommodation are safe and supported until a permanent place can be found with a local authority.The Department for Education’s Statutory guidance on children who go missing from care requires local authorities to share data on all missing children locally in a multi-agency forum to ensure children who have gone missing are appropriately safeguarded.All incidents of children going missing are recorded by local police forces. The immigration status of a child may not be recorded by police if it is not believed relevant to the incident, which may be the case if, for example, a child in local authority care has had refugee status for some time.Data on the number of all child refugees reported missing in 2021 is therefore not collated by central government in a reportable way.

Procurement: Human Rights

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the effectiveness of the implementation of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in ensuring that (1) large, and (2) small to medium sized, businesses adhere to human rights due diligence requirements across their supply chains.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.The landmark ‘Transparency in Supply Chains’ provisions in the Modern Slavery Act have driven a change in business culture, spotlighting modern slavery risks on boardroom agendas and within the international human rights community. We recognise, however, there is more to do to keep businesses focused on this important issue. The prevalence of modern slavery and complexity of global supply chains means that it is highly unlikely that any sector or company is immune from the risks of modern slavery. The Home Office’s statutory guidance on producing modern slavery statements suggests that statements should include the risk assessment and due diligence organisations undertook to prevent and tackle modern slavery. The Government encourages companies to report transparently about how they are identifying and mitigating modern slavery risks in their operations and supply chains, and to use their modern slavery statements to demonstrate year on year progress.To enhance the impact of transparency and accelerate action to prevent modern slavery, the Government announced an ambitious package of changes to strengthen the reporting requirements on businesses and has committed to introduce financial penalties for those that fail to meet their obligations to publish statements under section 54. These measures will be brought forward as soon as Parliamentary time allows. To further enhance transparency, in March 2021, the Government launched a digital registry for modern slavery statements to make statements available in one place. The registry will make it easier for investors, consumers and civil society to scrutinise the action being taken by different organisations and monitor progress. Since launching, over 6,750 statements have been submitted covering over 22,100 organisations. The Government is currently reviewing its Modern Slavery Strategy and will consider whether there are further opportunities to enhance our approach to transparency in supply chains.

Refugees: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what records they keep ofthe number of child refugees who go missing in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure children in temporary accommodation are safe and supported until a permanent place can be found with a local authority.The Department for Education’s Statutory guidance on children who go missing from care requires local authorities to share data on all missing children locally in a multi-agency forum to ensure children who have gone missing are appropriately safeguarded.All incidents of children going missing are recorded by local police forces. The immigration status of a child may not be recorded by police if it is not believed relevant to the incident, which may be the case if, for example, a child in local authority care has had refugee status for some time.Data on the number of all child refugees reported missing in 2021 is therefore not collated by central government in a reportable way.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Equal Pay

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the gender pay gap in each government department.

Lord True: The mean and median gender pay gaps for the Civil Service, as of 31 March 2021, were 7.8% and 8.1%, respectively.Information on the gender pay gap in each government department is published annually, as part of Civil Service Statistics. A detailed breakdown of gender pay gap statistics by department, as of 31 March 2021, can be found here (published on GOV.UK on 28th July 2021).

Department for International Trade

JCB: Standards

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by UK National Contact Point that JCB was in breach of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; and what steps they are taking to ensure that UK companies adhere to those guidelines.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The UK National Contact Point (UK NCP), which operates independently of the Department for International Trade, has not found that JCB violated human rights. However, in line with the OECD Guidelines, the UK NCP has advised JCB to develop a policy commitment to respect human rights and to carry out human rights due diligence in supply chains. The UK NCP will request an update from JCB on the implementation of its recommendations in a year’s time and in the interim is available to provide support as necessary. As part of its commitment to the OECD Guidelines, the UK NCP promotes the Guidelines to business, NGOs and trade unions, and is available to provide advice on adhering to the recommendations it contains.

Trade Promotion

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their(1) trade envoys, and (2) special representatives for Trade and Investment, are required to declare any (a) gifts they receive, and (b) conflicts of interest they may have, in the course of their duties; whether they will publish a list of all such gifts and conflicts of interest for the last 10 years; and what sanctions apply to any envoys or special representatives who fail to make the appropriate declarations.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Trade Envoys and Special Representatives appointed by the Department are required to declare gifts and hospitality that they receive in their roles. Trade Envoys and Special Representatives are also required to declare any interests (perceived or actual). The Department for International Trade (DIT) considers if any mitigations are needed on a case-by-case basis. We have no plans to publish a list of all such gifts and conflicts of interest for the last 10 years. It is the responsibility of the Trade Envoy to inform the Department of any change in their circumstances, and the Government can terminate any appointment where appropriate declarations have not been made.

Djibouti: Overseas Trade

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the BBC on 18 November that conflict in Ethiopia has (1) reduced Djiboutian trade by 80 per cent, (2) cost Djibouti $1.7 billion, and (3) affected supply chains and trade across the region.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Trade, and the overall prosperity of a nation, suffers when there is conflict such as in Ethiopia. HM Government is encouraging all parties in Ethiopia to come to a quick and peaceful resolution to provide stability there and in the immediate region.